Sarasota County Budget Meeting

but first, a letter to the Commissioners

Prior to the May 14th Budget Workshop our neighbor Walt Menzel emailed the Commissioners regarding our neighborhood sewer project.  Two points Walt made:

(1) for areas already completed, “Mr. MacFarlane, Sarasota County, indicated that the total cost per home ranged from $9,000 to $13,000. He also indicated that every property owner pays the same price of $5,400. This means that some homeowners got a better deal than other homeowners. Of course, this makes sense and is expected as just the way government programs work. It is a way to spread the program cost out over many people”

(2) [the N3 area]  is one of the most environmentally sensitive areas of the program, [having] significant direct exposure to Phillippi Creek. 

Commissioner Robinson’s response

“I appreciate your sentiments about pollution and cost spreading, but in reality we have a great big balancing act full of more variables than that.  One thing I can promise you, we are reviewing N-3 and now the whole Septic Replacement System with the suggestions and ideas of the residents of N-3 in our minds.

Thank you for participating in the public process, your participation is making government better”.

May 14th meeting

This Budget Workshop had some real significance for our neighborhood!  Although not listed on the agenda, Commissioner Robinson introduces N3 into the discussion (17:40).  During the following conversations George MacFarlane states at least three times (20:38, 21:50, 22:18) that “N3 is presently funded for $3,000,000”. This is particularly good news because although Mr. MacFarlane claims a vacuum system for N3 could cost “as much as $3,600,000”, the N3 Committee Review  has shown a more realistic estimate of $2,630,558.

Commission approval

Although the official minutes have not been posted, this is on the meeting website:

Approved Option 2, to complete the current five year Capital Improvement Program using $8.4 million Surtax 3 funding with $12.5 million from the State Revolving Fund and to complete 12,430 total connections (82 percent of the Phillippi Creek Septic System Replacement Program)

what’s next?

The May 14th meeting was the third budget workshop this year.  There are two more scheduled in June (12th and 21st) and a final workshop is scheduled for Aug 20th.  The final budget will be adopted at Public Hearings in September.And don’t forget… we have an N3 “policy discussion” meeting coming up sometime in June.

watch the meetings

I encourage everyone to go online and view the meetings… watch the entire proceedings or go to the time stamps I have listed.

Here’s how: go to scgov.net.  On the right hand side of the homepage click on the blue box that says VIDEO CENTRAL.  Cursor over to left side menu, click on County Commission.  Find BCC  Budget Workshop  May 14, 2013, Video.  That’s all there is to it!

This is a great resource we have to be able to sit in on these meetings from the comfort and privacy of our homes.  How many communities have this service?… my guess is not many.  With our laptops and PCs we should all be able to participate. And as Commissioner Robinson tells us, our participation is making government better.

Sarasota Herald Tribune Article

the following article by Eric Ernst appeared in the Sunday May 12 edition of the Sarasota Herald Tribune  

And now, a ‘nobody’ making a difference

Who is Mike Scarborough? 

Most of us have not asked that question. We’re not among the 216 homes known as Area N-3 in the Phillippi Creek sewer project. 

When Scarborough poses the question to himself, in a blog, he comes up with a disarming answer: “I’m nobody in particular.” 

But ask the Sarasota County commissioners who Scarborough is, and they’ll say he’s the guy who’s making them rethink how they’ll accomplish the sewer project in his neighborhood, and maybe the next one, as they try to replace 14,000 septic tanks with central sewers. 

The experience is a good example of how government is supposed to work. 

Scarborough’s neighborhood, along the eastern shore of Phillippi, south of Webber Street and north of Bee Ridge Road, is not scheduled for gravity or vacuum sewers, the types most common for large scale systems. Instead, each of the 216 homes will get a grinder pump buried in its front yard. 

A grinder — “about half the size of a Volkswagen Beetle,” Scarborough says — stores waste in a tank, grinds it into a slurry, then pumps it to a main line. 

Utilities sometimes employ grinders in areas of low elevation where other approaches will not work. 

The county engineers’ most compelling argument for grinders was cost. They’re cheaper, maybe $5,000 less per home than vacuum or gravity systems. 

As Scarborough and his neighbors started to do their research, however, the grinder negatives piled up.

First, homeowners pay to run the pumps. Second, the pumps have repair problems. Third, if the power goes out, during a hurricane for instance, no one can flush. And, while a few homes in the N-3 area sit at 4 to 5 feet above sea level, many others, including Scarborough’s, are in the 13- to 14-foot range, so the neighbors don’t see why they have to settle for the third best option. 

As for cost, Scarborough says, the grinders may be cheaper going in, but maintenance expenses and the need for emergency generators and rewiring at each site may bring their longterm costs close to the alternatives. 

The neighbors organized. They erected signs, more than a hundred of them. “NO GRINDERS. Stop the pumps,” they said. Scarborough started a blog at sarasotan3sewers.wordpress.com. He solicited comments and contributors, delved into research, spoke in public at commission meetings and set up private meetings with the commissioners and utility staff. 

The group found cities that had had trouble with grinders. They found discrepancies in the county’s price estimates. In a letter to the commissioners, neighbor Walt Menzel noted a study commissioned by Cape Coral that ranked grinders as the second worst method environmentally for handling waste. Only septic systems rated lower. 

More notably, in debating what can become an emotional issue, Scarborough and his neighbors kept things civil. “The strength we have is being factual and respectful,” he says. “Sometimes it’s been a struggle.” 

In his “So, Who Is This Guy … ?” blog, Scarborough even gave a nod to what he termed the county’s “very committed engineering staff.” 

In explaining how he and those engineers could come to different conclusions about the grinders, Scarborough wrote, “… They have a daunting task with over 14,000 customers to consider. I’m concerned with 216. I can devote 100 percent of my time to an area that represents about 1 percent of their total.”

Again, disarming. 

The neighborhood’s tone and approach have resonated with the commissioners. “They didn’t just show up and scream and yell, ‘You’ve got to do what we say or you’re a bunch of idiots!'” Commissioner Charles Hines says. 

“It’s been a pleasure to work with them, actually,” Commissioner Christine Robinson says. 

Scarborough, 70, a retired large projects designer for Florida Power and Light, and his fellow nobodies have made their point. 

County utility engineers are reassessing the grinders, which were to be installed on about 10 percent of the Phillippi Creek properties. In fact, Robinson says, because of Scarborough, the commissioners are taking a second look at the entire project. 

“I’m glad to have the opportunity to do something for the community, but I am not an activist,” Scarborough wrote. “When this project is finished, so am I.” 

That’s too bad. We could use a few more nobodies to help run things.

 

Eric Ernst

Eric Ernst’s column runs Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Contact him at eric.ernst@heraldtribune.com or (941) 486-3073.

             (link to SS HT website)

Resident’s Letter.22 to County Commission

N3 neighbor Walt Menzel recently wrote to the County Commissioners:

Dear Commissioners:

I attended the Commission meeting on February 13, 2013 to observe the discussion regarding sewers for  Area N3. I was very pleased to listen to a thoughtful discussion regarding what is best for Area N3 and also what is best for the County and the remainder of the PCSSRP.

I was also thankful that a significant amount of time was spent discussing pollution. Pollution of our groundwater and waterways is obviously the most important reason for PCSSRP.  There was even discussion related to changing the completion of the project and not completing areas (meaning not providing sewer service) that clearly have little or no impact on our groundwater and waterways.

Area N3 was mentioned in the meeting as a part of the PCSSRP that was in the heart of the project. It seems like it was pushed to the end of the project because it was such a difficult area to deal with, having so many homes directly on Phillippi Creek and related creeks and canals. There is no question that  minimizing pollution for Area N3 should be at the top of the list.

The Alternative Wastewater Systems Study  performed for the City of Cape Coral (Greeley and Hansen -2007) is a very comprehensive study that includes an environmental ranking when comparing sewer alternatives (see chart pg. 49). And it ranks the Low Pressure Grinder Pump at the bottom of the list (the only thing worse is a septic tank, which is not an option for Area N3).

This next-to-worst environmental ranking seems to be common sense. Besides all the moving parts (and being dependent on the homeowner’s electricity ) that are involved for the system to operate, the Low Pressure Grinder Pump system is constantly under pressure. Any leaking joint or crack in the line will push sewage into the ground and eventually into our waterways.

A Vacuum System is just the opposite. Any leaks in a Vacuum System would result in material being drawn into the system instead of being pushed “under pressure” into our environment.

It was very important that the pollution aspect of our sewer system came up during your discussion. Please consider this when deciding on how to complete the rest of the project. Your decision on Area N3 is important to our environment and will help keep our waterways clean and pollutant free.

Walt Menzel 

Menzel & Associates, CPAs, PA

Emergency Generators

During the Feb 13 BCC meeting,  Commissioner Barbetta stressed that an “apples to apples” cost comparison of a vacuum system to a low pressure system would include a generator and emergency receptacle for the grinder pumps.  The March 1st post talked about emergency receptacles, so now let’s look at generators.

Portable or Standby?

Emergency power generators are classified as portable or standby. The permanently mounted standby models are typically sized to power most, if not all of a homes electrical needs in the event of a power outage.  The installed cost of these units is $7,000 and up (see the article on the Chelmsford, MA. resident 2/7/2013).  You’ll find several websites if you want a more in-depth look at whole-house systems. For a “functionally equivalent” system comparison, I’ll talk about portable models that will power the ABS 09/2W Piranha grinder pump.

Size matters

Briggs & Stratton 7000W
$954.00

The main consideration in selecting a generator is it’s capability to handle the starting current of the largest motor load. In our case this will be the grinder pump, which is the only load connected thru the emergency receptacle transfer switch.  The current rating for the Piranha 09 is 13.5 amps, but this is “running amps”.  The starting current will be several times greater. If the generator does not have sufficient power to start the motor, a low voltage condition can occur and cause damage to the motor (read the Agreement: you’ll be responsible for any damage).  So, it’s critical to have a generator large enough not just to run the pump, but to start the pump motor. We have been told that we’re using a 2 hp pump, but notice that current specifications show the Piranha 09  closer to 3 hp. The 7000W generator shown may be insufficient to operate the ABS 09 pump, so the homeowner will spend well in excess of $1000 for a properly sized emergency generator.

Think about this

The homeowner’s cost for an emergency receptacle is about $1000. The minimum cost of a generator is $1000.  For our 200 homes that’s $400,000 we’ll collectively spend for equipment that we hope we’ll never have to use!  A standby generator for a vacuum station sized for our neighborhood is about $65,000.  So, that’s $400,000 for 200 individual installations versus $65,000 for a central unit that will be regularly tested and maintained by the County. Does that make any sense?… think about it!

information links

Piranha_09_Specs

Choosing the Right Generator

Amazon Generator Buying Guide

Neighborhood Yard Signs

In January of this year, the N3 Committee purchased 100 “NO GRINDERS” yard signs and distributed them to neighborhood residents. This was a visual statement of the neighborhood opposition to the system of grinder pumps that has been proposed to replace our septic tanks. The signs were very popular, and to fulfill the additional requests the Committee ordered another 100 signs.  By Feb 13, the day of the County Commission Meeting, 165 yard signs were on display in the N3 neighborhood.

What happened to the signs?

Evidently someone did not like the message, because on Monday Feb 25 essentially all of the signs disappeared!  Sometime between midnight Monday and 5 AM Tuesday the signs were removed and have not been found.  Who took them and why they were taken remains a mystery.

Our Commissioners are interested

The N3 committee  received numerous emails, and a couple of residents wrote to the County Commissioners.  The letters simply stated that although the signs were gone, the neighborhood resolve remained as strong as ever. Well, two of our Commissioners responded, and Commission Chair Carolyn Mason forwarded a resident’s letter to the County Administrator asking him to see if County Code Enforcement had picked up any of the signs (the emails can be read at Commissioner Email  3/7/2013, 2:06 and 5:02).

What’s next?

At the Feb 13 BCC meeting the engineering staff was given 3-4 months to bring back to the Commissioners another look at the costs of our sewers. The N3 Committee recently discussed a new yard sign campaign as we get closer to the next meeting; we’ll keep you advised.  In the meantime, be thinking of a slogan for the new signs and send in your suggestions (ed. entry: “Let’s save the County $400K… put Vacuum in N3”).

Emergency Power Receptacles

The issue of grinder pump emergency power receptacles came up several times during the Feb 13 Board Meeting.  Commissioner Barbetta stressed that an “apples to apples” cost comparison of a vacuum system to a low pressure system would include a generator and emergency receptacle for the grinder pumps.  A emergency receptacle can be ordered as an option with the county-owned control panel, or provided by the homeowner along with the required 30 amp dedicated circuit.  During the meeting (video 01:01:20) Commissioner Barbetta asks Greg Rouse if the county’s pumps have the emergency receptacles.  Mr. Rouse replies that the decision was made in 2005 that if this level of back-up was desired, the homeowner would provide the generator and the receptacle.

A larger storage tank

The first grinder pumps installed were equipped with a 50 gallon storage tank.  As an emergency back-up, the decision was made to increase the tank size to 158 gallon, which will provide 1.3 days of effluent storage, rather than provide an emergency electrical receptacle.  During the Feb 13 meeting Commissioner Patterson asked that the 375 gall0n tank (4.9 days storage) be the county standard. So, whether or not the county or the homeowner provides a power receptacle and/or a generator, it looks like future grinder pumps will be installed with the 375 gallon tank.

The homeowner option

The new standard grinder pump will provide approximately 4.9 days of emergency storage.  If the homeowner opts for more emergency back-up than 4.9 days, here’s whats involved:

A transfer switch.  This unit has the 30 amp receptacle and a manual throw-over switch which disconnects the pump circuit from the house power panel.  It is extremely important that this device be wired correctly to prevent back feed not only to the home, but to the utility grid (note the advisory on the CSR302 Instructions).

CSR302 $599.75

A cord set. This is the 30 amp cord that will connect the generator to the grinder pump emergency receptacle.

30 amp cord $124

A generator.  The unit shown is a Briggs & Stratton 7000W.  I’ll try to find the ABS Piranha generator requirements, but plan to spend at least $1000.00.

Briggs & Stratton 7000W
$954.00

An electrician.  I was given an estimate of $300 to install this equipment.  This is in addition to the  $600 to install the 30 amp circuit from my panel.

(equipment prices are from Amazon.com and installation cost estimates are from Hardesty Electric Service)

Did we find $1,500,000?

Design Technical Memorandum

On page 5 of the N3 Tech Memo 12-18-2012  you’ll find a table showing the estimated capital cost of a Vacuum system to be $3,363,000 and a Low Pressure system to be $2,114,000.  This indicates that low pressure grinder pumps are cheaper for our area by $1,249,000.  So, in order to make a Vacuum system cost effective for our area, we need to close this $1,249,000 “gap”.

Tech Memo Exhibit 5

Go to the last page of this report (Exhibit 5) and on line 12 you’ll find the grinder pump assemblies listed with a unit cost of $6000. With an estimated quantity of 196, the total amount for this line item is $1,176,000. This is the installed cost of the grinder pumps for our area N3 (the number of units should be 200, but for simplicity we’ll stick with 196).

Now let’s take a look at…

The Stantec Report

This is the Stantec Report (11/2006) that was discussed recently… I hope you’ve had a chance to read it.  In section 5 you’ll find this:

You can see that Stantec estimated the standard 158 gal grinder pump system at $9000 per unit, not the $6,000 used in the staff report. But never mind, because the Feb 13th BCC meeting clearly established that we’ll use the larger 375 gal systems.  So, 196 units at an installed cost of $14,400 each results in $2,822,400 that should appear on line 12 of the cost data sheet, not $1,176,000.

When $1,176,000 is replaced with $2,822,400, the bottom line is markedly different:  instead of costing $1,249,000 more than Low Pressure, the Vacuum system is actually  $397,400 less!

So, we started out trying to close a $1,249,000 gap.  We did that, plus we found and extra $397,400… I think we found the $1,500,000!

What’s next?

The Commissioners have directed staff to review not only our N3 Area, but future areas of the PCCSRP. I’m sure that including the extra capacity grinder pump tanks will change the conclusions of the December 18 Tech Memo.  This is a big job, and the Commissioners have given them several months to come back with an updated report. In the meantime I’ll be presenting information on other aspects of our neighborhood project.

(ed. note: all data used in this article came from documents furnished by Sarasota County.  I have no access to the consultants, equipment manufacturers, or other means to verify the data.  If the data is flawed, it came to me that way).  

Stantec 2006 Report

During the Feb 13th meeting, Commissioner Barbetta made several references to the Stantec 2006 report.  The following is a brief overview of that report along with some pertinent excerpts (there’s a link to the report at the end of this article).

The Stantec 2006 Report

By November 2006 Sarasota County had made the decision to replace 84% of the septic tanks in the PCSSRP with vacuum sewers; the rest would be either gravity or low pressure grinder pumps.  For the areas designated as “low pressure”, the County sought an evaluation of grinder pumps, as the citizens of Sarasota County had expressed concern over system storage and operation during extended power outages.

This report from Stantec Consulting Services provided an evaluation of the adequacy of the storage volume in the proposed systems, along with the means of allowing operation during emergencies such as prolonged power outages.  The Stantec report includes an evaluation of grinder pump systems from three different manufacturers, and interviews with other Florida communities using low pressure grinder pumps.

Here are some excerpts

Commissioner Barbetta felt that an emergency power receptacle was an extremely important component of a grinder pump installation.  The report had this to say:

“The most significant potential emergency condition in this region of the country is a power failure [and] some consideration should be made for emergency storage in a grinder pumping system… providing emergency power connections for these systems would allow rapid connection of the generator using a simple plug connection… thereby saving time for the public utility or the resident to pump down the unit with a generator”.

“Emergency power receptacles are offered as an option on most grinder pump systems… if there’s an emergency power receptacle with a universal plug, the property owner has the ability to pump down his own unit with a generator in an emergency”.

Commissioner Patterson stressed the importance of extra capacity tanks in the event of a prolonged power outage.  The report does indeed consider emergency storage:

“The 158 gallon [system] has a storage time of approximately 1.3 days… the 375 gallon has approximately 4.9 days”.

Take time to read the report…

Here’s the link to the Stantec Report.  There is lots of information in it and the data is from late 2006.  If you find something particularly interesting, send it in and I’ll post it.

Stantec Report (11/2006)

Review of Feb 13th BCC Meeting

Today’s post will introduce a series of articles reviewing the meeting and the discussion between Commissioners and Staff (you may want to bookmark the video; I make frequent reference to time stamps).

There were many points raised by the commissioners that give us good reason to be optimistic.  Probably the most significant action was the directive given to staff to take yet another look at all of the factors that will impact our neighborhood and the PCSSRP.  All of the commissioners agreed that we should take the time to make an informed decision that will best serve all concerned.

Some highlights

The N3 discussion period lasted just over an hour.  I will comment on various segments and provide time stamps so that you can watch the video and form your own opinions.

Commissioner Barbetta:  Grinder pump panels should be equipped with emergency receptacles.  This will allow a generator (either utility or homeowner) to power the grinder pump during a power outage to maintain sewage disposal [01:01:19] and [01:07:04].

Commissioner Patterson: The County should install the larger 375 gallon tank for all grinder pump installations [01:24:40].  This will provide 4.9 days of reserve capacity versus 1.3 days.  We know that grinder pumps will be the only reasonable choice for some homes, and this will certainly provide those residents some peace of mind. Near the end of the meeting, Comm. Patterson directs staff to include the larger tanks into future calculations [01:36:10].

Commissioner Hines:  Asks the staff for a response to  the N3 Committee’s review of the staff’s Tech Memo.  He recognizes that our report “was prepared in a logical and reasoned way” and that we had “backed up our numbers” [01:12:40].

Commissioner Robinson: As she has throughout this process, Commissioner Robinson encourages the staff to provide the new data to us so that we have time to digest the information [01:43:00].

Commissioner Mason: Along with Commissioner Robinson, she questions the use of 13 year old data [01:24:10], and she congratulates the N3 neighborhood for our efforts and encourages us to “keep up the good work” [01:43:00].

My take…

I have been very encouraged by this entire process, and this latest meeting has reinforced my optimism.  All of the commissioners have been accessible, fair-minded, and have involved themselves in our small project.  We really owe them a debt of thanks for facilitating this process.  

My request to our neighborhood:  stay involved!  Read the blog, do your own research and see what you come up with.  Send me what you find; I’ll post anything that is respectful and pertinent.  This blog is not my private “soapbox”… this is our neighborhood bulletin board.

So, watch the countdown calendar… we’ll see what happens in the next 3 months!

Video of Feb 13 County Commission Meeting

If you missed the meeting yesterday, here’s a link to the video.  The meeting began with a couple of award and recognition presentations, followed by comments from some of your N3 neighbors (time stamp 00:13:15).

What do you think?

Watch the video and send in your comments… I’ll post them here. Also, take time to email a “thank you” to the Commissioners for bringing our neighborhood project to a discussion. You’ll see at the end of the meeting that the staff is directed to do further analysis and provide a report to the Commissioners within 90 to 120 days… so stay tuned!